It was a perfect, sunny, cloudless Spring day that boded well for a promising celebration. After nearly three years of working for a company that’s fulfilled my basic needs and given so much to my still-evolving temperament, I have finally been blessed with what in these parts is called a permanent work contract. They like me, they indeed really, really like me.

Permanence being a state of mind it could be considered either the start of a more fruitful life, or possibly a signal to no longer keep trying. Sitting by a quiet, light-filled corner in a TV tower turned overwater restaurant, certainly one of the more interesting restaurants I’ve seen, looking over a wide expanse of beautiful blue sky and cargo boats breaking through steady water, I couldn’t help but feel hopelessly optimistic. Like winning a lottery, it was a moment fit for champagne and planning for the future. How good it was to feel this way.